Yesterday we brought you word of an audacious plan by Google to grow their display market revenues by leveraging inventory on existing and popular internet properties that they own or control.
We noted that this move by Google would not engender feelings of great happiness among their many users:
Just where it [Google] intends to immediately grow its display advertising presence may cause some tension betwen the internet giant and its usually devoted fans. Google plans to grow its display advertising on the back of the popularity of the following properties: Google Finance, Google Maps, Google Books, YouTube, and even Gmail. Where there are advertisements now there will be more, where there are few there will be many. Given Google’s reputation as a provider of free, ad-less services, this is something of a paradigm change that its users will hardly approve of.
Google heard this from more sources than just ourselves, and has made a move to reassure both the press and its fans. From a VentureBeat article on the subject:
Google spokesperson Rob Shilkin explained to VentureBeat that “display ad” doesn’t necessarily mean gaudy, dancing images.
That is fancy corporate speak for this: our ads are not going to annoy the hell out of you and ruin the minimalistic design themes of Google properties. And a good thing to, even one step towards MySpace would send millions of Google’s users to their competition. The modern internet user is increasingly allergic to loud, jumping advertising.
Read more on the Google’s display advertising future here.
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